Call Assessor - Staffordshire (RESERVE POOL)

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust; Stafford; Hybrid; GBP 24,000 - 27,000; Full time

Job summary

A public health service in England seeks a Call Assessor to manage emergency calls. The ideal candidate will be able to work flexible hours, including weekends and holidays, and will undergo rigorous training. Responsibilities include assessing urgent calls, providing support to patients, and ensuring accurate communication with emergency service teams. This role offers an annual salary of £24,937 to £26,598, plus additional compensation for unsocial hours.

Qualifications

• Ability to adapt communication style for various callers.
• Must commit to initial 4 weeks full-time training and 2 weeks mentored training.
• Must work weekends and bank holidays.

Responsibilities

• Handle urgent & emergency calls from the public.
• Analyze patient conditions to categorize calls accurately.
• Provide life-saving first aid advice when needed.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Ability to work in a pressurized environment

Flexibility in shift timings

Education

Minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above including English

Job description

Call Assessor - Staffordshire (RESERVE POOL)

The closing date is 15 December 2025

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust is committed to creating an inclusive, supportive, and accessible workplace for everyone where our colleagues feel empowered to succeed. Each person plays a vital part in ensuring our organisation meets the differing needs of our communities, ultimately enabling us to save lives. We acknowledge that a workforce that reflects the communities it serves provides better patient care and we are therefore looking for self‑motivated, enthusiastic people from all backgrounds that care about making a difference to our patients.

We are committed to diversity and inclusivity at all levels. We are proud to have maintained Disability Confident Leader status and, as part of our commitments, we guarantee to invite all applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role to attend assessment or interview. If you have a disability or learning difficulty, and prefer to disclose it, please feel free to do so in your application. You can also contact the Recruitment Team via email at [e-mail] if you wish to have a confidential discussion. We use this information, with your permission, to ensure you are fully supported during the recruitment process.

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust are looking to build a reserve pool of Call Assessors to fulfil any vacancies that may arise over the next 12 months.

Main duties of the job

* *Please note, this advert is predominantly weekend & unsocial hours working only**

Applicants must be fully flexible and be able to work full rotational shifts including days, evenings, nights, weekends and bank holidays. Full & part time positions are available – a minimum of 25 hours per week when working part time.

Training for this post is completed on a pass or fail basis and applicants must be able to commit to 6 weeks full time training including 2 weeks (equating to 37.5 hours per week) of mentorship which can be completed on contracted part‑time hours at the beginning of their employment. The initial 4 weeks training is usually completed Monday to Friday 08:00 – 16:00 or 16:00 – 00:00 hours. Please note, training may be at Brierley Hill or Staffordshire.

Applicants will work within a team providing health related services to patients supported by a robust clinical assessment tool.

You will be responsible for providing a high‑quality call handling response to all calls as laid down in national guidance and organisational procedures, through a clinically triage computer based system.

Applicants must have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above which must include English. As part of the recruitment process you will be required to undertake assessments relevant to the post. **Please note – Stage 1 assessments will take place on Saturday 20th / Sunday 21st December 2025 and you may be asked to complete these in Brierley Hill**

About us

Full information can be found in the ‘Candidate Information Pack’. Please ensure you review this information before applying.

The Trust is proud to support our Armed Forces community and have signed up to the Step Into Health initiative. We welcome applications from Armed Forces Veterans and Service leavers.

This position involves a regulated activity and therefore will require an Enhanced Disclosure & Barring Service check. The disclosure will, where appropriate to the role, include information against the Independent Safeguarding Authority barred lists for working with children, adults or both.

Where a Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) check is required for the post, all applicants are required to cover the cost of the check. The cost of £55.76 for an enhanced check is payable to our online provider at the time that the DBS application is submitted. Upon receipt of your DBS you will then be required to sign up to the DBS online update service.

We do endeavour to respond to all candidates on an individual basis. Therefore we ask for your cooperation and patience whilst the short listing process takes place. After the closing date please ensure you check your emails (including junk mail) regularly as contact is usually made via this method.

Please note that due to the banding of this post the Trust is unable to provide sponsorship to work for this role, in order to be eligible to apply you must have current right to work in the UK status.

Job responsibilities

Responsible for the receipt and processing of urgent & emergency calls from the general public. Analysing a patient’s condition and situation to obtain an appropriate NHS Pathways category and relevant response. Alternatively your call will be processed where no response is required.

Ensure that the Call Connect response targets are met with accuracy and efficiency to the highest standards possible.

Responsible for the receipt and processing urgent & emergency response calls from other emergency services, medical staff and other professional bodies. Processing the calls under appropriate NHS Pathways category and protocols to obtain the correct end disposition.

Responsible for the receipt, processing and taking necessary action for misdirected calls from the operator for other emergency services or for third party callers who require an ambulance in another area.

Responsible for the receipt and processing specialised emergency calls such as: Birmingham International Airport, Air Operations, Prison, bomb incidents, police RVP, chemical incidents and a major incident.

While processing a call responsible to assess a patient’s condition while they wait for an appropriate response, giving life saving first aid advice where appropriate. Advice given includes but is not limited to: CPR (cardiac pulmonary resuscitation), childbirth, haemorrhage control, airway maintenance, choking, convulsion, burns, flushing chemicals and amputations.

While processing a call, responsible to identify any scene safety issues and take appropriate action in cases of entrapments, assaults, chemical incidents, industrial incidents, violent, intoxicated and psychiatric patients. To reassure patients who have mental health problems or who are vulnerable. To update controller and ambulance crews with relevant changes.

Processing requests for an emergency ambulance by operating a computerised system and in the event of computer failure a manual system using operational and Pathways guidelines.

To work at the alternative control room as well as the existing control room in the event of computer and telephone failure or as required by management.

Responsible for the receipt and processing routine urgent removal calls from medically trained staff and social workers. To arrange ambulance transport using working practices, hospital contracts and procedure guidelines for hospital admissions, hospital transfers, neonatal transfers, hospice admissions and discharges, final journey discharges, mental health admissions and patient transport services. To triage doctor's admissions and upgrade life threatening conditions. To refer non‑routine requests to the supervisor or Duty Officer.

Responsible for the receipt and processing general enquiry calls from the general public, ambulance crews, other emergency services, medical staff and other professional bodies. To process these calls using set protocols and working practices. These calls include: doctor visits; patient death confirmation details; case enquiries; request from police for tapes; liaising between ambulance crews and the controller; answering press enquiries. Referring non‑routine enquiries to the Supervisor, Press Officer, Logistics Manager and Duty Officer.

Responsible for making outbound calls to other professional and the general public adhering to working practices and protocols. These include: re‑contacting callers to check on a patient’s address and condition; contacting relatives with sensitive information; querying other professionals; alerting hospitals; arranging breakdown recovery for ambulances; out of hours mortuary; information from poison control; midwives for homebirth; reporting incidents to other emergency services; contacting telephone service providers; and paging medics.

Attend any training courses, which are required for the job. To undertake ongoing training and development to supervisor, responder desk and divisional controller. To keep up to date with changing procedures and protocols.

If necessary appear in court and give evidence about a taken telephone call.

To pass information to the Locality/Trust PR Officers in accordance with the SOPs as agreed with managers.

Demonstrating own duties to visitors. Represent the West Midlands Ambulance Service in mock exercises and demonstrations.

Participate in trials relating to the job when necessary.

Adhere to Data Protection Act, Caldicott Guidelines, Health and Safety, Quality Management Systems and West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS code of conduct and general procedures.

Identify and report IT related problems on computer software and workstations.

Perform any other reasonable duties, of either a higher or lower rank, as may be assigned from time to time by your Line Manager.

Person Specification

Experience

• Ability to work in a pressurised environment

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 GCSEs at Grade C or above including English (or equivalent)
• Must be willing to commit to 4 weeks full time training plus 2 weeks of full time mentoring

Skills and Knowledge

• Excellent communication skills with the ability to adapt and communicate effectively with callers who may be abusive, elderly, children, severely distressed, have language difficulties, etc.
• Ability to work a range of shifts including days, latees, evenings, weekends, bank holidays.
• Must be able to work in the UK without the need for sponsorship.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

Employer name

West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust

£24,937 to £26,598 a year plus the relevant unsocial hours as per section 2